"Adopt A Highway"

 2019 1h 21min

Ethan has proven he can play a wide range of roles. He’s done everything from the “Before Sunrise” series and “Boyhood” to “Training Day” and  “Gattaca”. When you look at his Filmography, it shows a remarkably broad scope of characters. But nothing I’ve seen him in prepared me for his acting in “Adopt a Highway”. He was absolutely riveting. While he was on screen for about 90% of the time, his performance was so nuanced, it was a joy to witness. I feel this film can be interpreted as a play in four acts. 

 

Act I takes place while and immediately after Russ Mullings (Hawke) is released from prison. He served 21 years for possession of a small amount of marijuana under California’s ridiculously harsh Three Strikes law. Mullings is now in his early 40s and is totally out of touch with the real world. He’s painfully shy and has difficulty relating and communicating with other people. It’s not clear whether being incarcerated for so long has made him this way, or if he’s been like this since childhood. After he’s released he gets a job as a dishwasher in a fast-food burger joint and lives in a dumpy motel room. 

 

In Act 2 he finds a crying infant in a dumpster behind the restaurant. He names the baby Ella and takes her home where he goes through the usual routines of the clueless dad trying to figure out feeding and diaper changing rituals. He relates to Ella because the two of them have been abandoned by society and have difficulty fitting in. Through his one-way conversations, he reveals quite a bit about himself including his childhood and his relationship with his father. When Ella falls out of bed and is injured he takes her to child services and is forced to give her up. 

 

Mullings leaves California in Act 3, when he discovers his father has passed away. He takes a bus to Casper, Wyoming to visit his father’s grave and find out about his dad’s will. Along the way, the ultra-introverted Mullins meets fellow passenger Diana Spring (Elaine Hendrix). She’s a lively character and takes great pleasure in teasing him. The two have wonderful chemistry together and, even though she gets off in Denver, in the back of our minds we think the two just may hook up again in the future. 

 

The closing act sort of comes out of nowhere. I really can’t say much more than you’ll be in a good mood when it’s over--I sure didn’t see that ending coming! This is a perfect example of a perfect indie film. I really enjoy the fact that actors like Hawke make traditional Hollywood movies, but occasionally work outside the box on projects like this. It’s nice to see him take on something that’s really challenging. 

4 out of 5 stars

 

Currently streaming on Hoopla and Starz